Allowing Content in School Manager

We use Themes, Categories, and Signatures to capture current and future online content by groups or patterns. Themes have different Categories, which contain relevant Signatures and websites. We continuously update our classifications to keep up with new content on the internet.

Themes

Themes are groups of related Categories. When you apply content filtering to a Theme, all the categories in the Theme will be affected by the filtering policy, including websites added to the categories in the future.

Categories

Websites and applications are sorted into Categories to further break down web content. You can use categories to fine-tune your filtering policies to fit your school’s requirements. When you apply filtering to a category, all signatures and websites in that category will be affected.

Signatures

A Signature is a pattern for identifying a website, type of web content, or online application. Not all sites and applications have a Signature, as they are usually only created for very popular sites and applications, often using multiple domains and subdomains.

Img 1: New filtering rule prompt showing the Theme, Category and Signature.

Time Periods

Time Periods are a type of School Manager Object used to group custom information for use in filtering. Use the Time Periods to define special times of day or days of the week. 

Filtering at the beginner level involves using categories to allow websites and applications for all your users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow access to all users at all times of the day. 

1. In School Manager, select Filtering > Content Filtering.
2. Select + Create Policy.

Filtering at an intermediate level involves using Categories to allow websites and applications, plus adding a Time Period to restrict its operation to specific hours for all users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow access to all users during a specific time of the day.

Add a Time Period

1. Go to Configuration > Objects > Time Periods.
2. Select Add Time Period.
3. Enter a name, like "School Hours", and select Add.
4. Select one or multiple school Days checkboxes. Select Save.

Create a filtering policy for a Time Period

1. Go to Filtering > Content Filtering.
2. Select + Create Policy.

GGGG

Another intermediate-level filtering involves using two filtering policies to allow specific signatures and block access to all other content in this Theme. The Allow policy must be listed before the Block policy.

Hold and move the policy above any policy that blocks Gaming or Video Games in the Content Filtering list.

Filtering at an advanced level involves blocking a Theme and then using multiple Time Periods to limit its operation to set periods throughout the day for all your users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow all users access during specific times, such as recess, lunch, or outside school hours.

Configure Time Periods

If Time Periods for class times, recess and lunch times, and outside school hours already exist, skip to the next steps.

1. Select Configuration > Objects > Time Periods.
2. Select Add Time Period.
3. Enter a name, such as "Before School" and select Add.
4. Select one or multiple school Days checkboxes.
5. Select Save.
6. Repeat steps 2 - 6 for other Time Periods, such as Morning Class, Lunch, Afternoon Class, and After School.

Create a Policy

1. In School Manager, select Filtering > Content Filtering
2. Select + Create Policy.

3. Repeat these steps if you would like to allow access during other free-time, like “Lunch Time” or “Before School”.

Filtering at an expert level involves policies to allow a Category of websites and applications for a specific User or Group.

• Adding and Editing Users in School Manager
• Adding and Managing Groups

Allowing a specific user

You may want to allow a teacher access to a website or content that you do not want students accessing.

Allowing a specific group

You may want to allow a group of students access to websites with opinions and political arguments that are in a blocked category.

1. Go to Configuration > Users and Groups > Groups.

2. Add a new Group named "Mock Trials".

3. Go to Filtering > Content Filtering.

4. Select + Create Policy.